Chair



Oct. 27, 1964 R, E, LAMBRECHT 3,154,345

CHAIR Filed May l, 1962 INVENTOR AFAM/w I ../mwiff//r MJUMYML@ United States Patent O The invention relates to seat and chair constructions and particular-ly to seats and chairs intended for use near the water, and on boats and ships.

The invention provides an attractive, cushioned seat which is removably carried on a sup-port, such as a seat frame, and includes a recessed bottom in which there is accessibly stored a life preserver, preferably a buoyant cushion which provides a substantial amount of cushioning. In addition, the recessed bottom is `also arranged to receive at least a portion of the :seat frame so as to prevent unwanted horizontal shifting of the seat rel-ative to the frame. In the preferred embodiment, the seat frame is received in a portion of the same recess receiving the life preserver.

The invention also provides a chair including a cushioned `seat incorporating the features mentioned above and a back rest cushion which is telescopically received on a portion of the frame and terminates at its ylower end with a beveled surface co-operating with a beveled rearward margin of the seat cushion to prevent upward displacement of the rearward end of the cushioned seat. The cushioned seat and back rest cushion also include interlocking means to prevent upward displacement of the back rest cushion when the cushioned seat is in its proper position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become known by reference lto the following description and the accompanying `drawings of one embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a chair 11 incorporating various of the features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fore and aft vertical sectional view of the chair 11 shown in FIGURE 1, taken generally along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional View of the chair 11 shown in FGURE 1, taken generally along line 3-3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective View of the frame incorporated in the chair 11 shown in FGURE l; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view, similar to FIGURE l, showing the seat cushion upended to expose a buoyant cushion normally concealed thereby.

The chair 11 comprises a frame 13 (see FIGURE 4) including a seat portion 15 and a back rest portion 17, a cushioned seat 19 on said seat portion 15 of the frame 13, and a back rest cushion 21 on the back rest portion 17 of the frame 13.

The frame 13 can be constructed in various ways and preferably comprses structural members of rectangular cross section including, as seen best in FlG- URE 4, a rearwardly open seat bow 23 which forms a part of the seat portion 15 of the frame 13 and which, at the free end of its legs or members 25, is united to the legs 27 of a downwardly open back rest bow 29 which forms a part of the back rest portion 17 of the frame 13. ln addition, the frame 13 includes a pair of parallel, upwardly open leg bows 31 which are united to the seat bow 23 and to the back rest bow 21B to further unify the construction.

The seat portion 15 of the frame further includes a Cross bar 33 supported between the legs 27 and the back rest bow 29 at a level somewhat below the height of the seat bow 23, together with a series of interwoven ice web members or supporting members 35 supported by the seat bow 23 and the cross bar 33 in a generally rectangular pattern. Preferably, the individual web members are united to the legs 25 and to the front cross bar 37 of the seat bow 23 by any suitable means such that they extend from the under surface of the seat bow 23, thereby providing a recess within the seat bow. The rearward ends of the fore and aft web members extend from the upper surface of the cross bar 33.

The back rest portion 17 of the frame 13 is completed by the before-mentioned cross bar 33 and by a series of parallel web or support members 39 joining the legs 27 of the back rest bow 29.

The cushioned seat 19 comprises the assembly of a seat cushion d1 and a life preserver 43, preferably a commercially available buoyant cushion. Such buoyant cushions may comprise a floatable main body of resilient polyvinyl chloride foam which is covered by a vinyl coated fabric and preferably includes a pair of handles 45, as shown in FIGURE 5. Preferably, the dimensions of the buoyant cushion 43 are such as to snugly lit between the legs 25 of the seat bow 23.

The seat cushion 41 can be fabricated in various ways and in the preferred embodiment includes a main body 47 of molded, resilient plastic foam which is of substantial depth and has bonded thereto a serviceable skin or cover 49. The under surface of the seat cushion 41 is provided with a pocket or recess 51 including a rectangular main portion 53 corresponding to the size of the buoyant cushion 43. The pocket 51 also includes an outer or border portion 55 around the front and side margins of the main portion 53, which outer portion provides a cavity or seat for the seat bow 23.

At its rearward end, the seat cushion 41 includes a downwardly and rearwardly inclined surface 57 which terminates in a tongue 59 (see FGURE 2), the purposes of which will be explained hereinafter.

in assembly of the cushioned seat 19 on the seat frame 15, the buoyant cushion 43 is first laid on the web members 35 between the legs 25 and in abutment with the cross bar 37 on the seat bow 23. The seat cushion 41 is then overlaid 'on the buoyant cushion 43 and on the seat frame, with the buoyant cushion 43 substantially lilling the main portion 53 of the pocket 51 and with the seat bow 23 lling the outer portion 55 of the pocket. As a result of this construction, the cushioned seat 19 includes two resilient cushion layers and is retained against horizontal shifting with respect to the seat frame 15. 'he forward end of the seat cushion 41 can be readily grasped and lifted upwardly to expose the buoyant cushion 43, while upward displacement of the rearward end of the seat cushion 41 is prevented by engagement of the inclined surface 57 with a mating surface 61 on the back rest cushion 21.

More particularly, while the back rest cushion 21 can be constructed in various ways, in the preferred embodiment, it includes a main body 63 of resilient foamed plastic material which is covered by a suitable skin material 65. The back rest cushion includes a recess or pocket 67 which is open at the bottom so as to permit telescopic engagement with the back rest bow 29. Specifically, the recess includes a downwardly open U-shaped portion which is adapted to receive a part of the back rest bow 23 and a connecting portion which is of relatively thin depth but which serves to permit passage of the cross bar 68 of the back rest bow 29 into the upper part of the U-shaped recess portion. When assembled on the back rest portion 17 of the frame 13, the lower end of the back rest cushion 21 includes a portion o9 (see FIGURE 2) which rests upon the cross bar 33 and a portion including the surface 61 which inclines downwardly and rearwardly and co-operates with the inclined surface 57 on the seat cushion 41, when the cushioned seat 19 is properly seated with respect to the seat bow 23, to prevent upward displacement of the rearward end of the seat cushion 41.

As can be seen best in FIGURE 2, the rearwardly projecting tongue 59 of the seat cushion 41 is received in a transverse notch or groove 71 beneath the inclined under surface 61 of the back rest cushion 21 so as to prevent upward movement of the back rest cushion when the seat bow 23 is seated in the recess 55 in the bottom of the cushioned seat 19.

Accessibility to the buoyant life preserver 43 can be easily and quickly obtained by simply lifting the front end of the seat cushion 41 away from the seat frame 15, thereby exposing the buoyant cushion for removal off the web members 35.

Various of the features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a chair including a seat frame and a seat removably supported on said frame, the improvement comprising a recessed pocket in the bottom of said seat, and

a separate life preserver removably located in said recessed pocket.

2. A chair in accordance with claim l wherein said seat frame is located, at least partially, in said recessed pocket.

3. A chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein said seat frame includes Y a pair of spaced generally parallel members, and a supporting member extending between the under surface of said spaced members, and said life preserver is a buoyant cushion located between said spaced members and on top of said supporting member.

4. A chair in accordance with claim 3 wherein said supporting member comprises a plurality of interwoven web members.

5. In a chair including a frame having a back rest portion and a seat portion, a back rest cushion supported by said back rest frame portion, and a seat cushion removably supported by said seat frame portion, the improvement comprising a recess on the underside lof said seat cushion, and

a separate buoyant cushion removably located in said recess.

6. A chair comprising a seat frame,

a seat cushion removably supported on said seat frame, said seat cushion having a bottom with a recessed pocket, and

a separate life preserver removably located in said recessed pocket.

7. A chair comprising a frame including a back rest portion and a seat portion, a back rest cushion telescopically received on said back rest frame portion, and a cushioned seat removably supported by said seat frame portion, said cushioned seat including a seat cushion of substantial depth having a pocket on the underside thereof, and a buoyant cushion removably located in said pocket.

8. A chair comprising a frame including a back rest portion and a seat portion including a forwardly located transverse supporting member, a cushioned seat removably supported by said seat frame portion, said cushioned seat including a seat cushion Vof substantial depth having a pocket on the underside thereof, a transversely extending recess adjacent the forward end of said pocket, said recess receiving said transverse supporting member, and a rearward end having a rearwardly and downwardly inclined surface, and a buoyant cushion removably located in said pocket, and a back rest cushion telescopically received on said back rest frame portion, said back rest cushion including a bottom having a rearwardly and downwardly inclined surface in engagement with said rearwardly and downwardly inclined surface of said seat cushion and co-operating with the receipt of said transverse supporting member in said recess to prevent upward displacement of the rearward end of said seat cushion.

9. A chair in accordance withe claim 8 wherein said back rest cushion is removably received on said back rest frame portion, and

said seat cushion and said back rest cushion include interlocking means retaining said back rest cushion on said back rest frame portion when said seat cushion is supported on said seat frame portion with said transverse supporting member received in said recess.

10. In a chair including a seat frame and a seat removably supported on said frame, the improvement comprising a recessed pocket in the bottom of said seat including a main portion,

a border portion receiving a part of said seat frame, and

a separate buoyant cushion removably in said main portion of said recessed pocket.

11. A chair including a seat frame including a pair of spaced generally parallel members and a supporting member extending between the under surface of said spaced members, and a seat cushion removably supported on said frame, the improvement comprising a recess in the under surface of said seat cushion including a main portion, a border portion along at least two sides of said main portion and receiving therein said spaced members, and a buoyant cushion located in said main recess portion between said spaced members and on top of said supporting member. l2. The combination of a seat cushion, l a separate buoyant supplemental cushion disposable in underlying relation to said seat cushion, and

means on said seat cushion for releasably locating said buoyant cushion against displacement relative to said seat cushion when said buoyant cushion is in its said underlying relation to said seat cushion.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 802,221 Kuhnen et al Oct. 17, 1905 2,132,544 Shaw Oct. 11, 1938 2,623,574 Damsch Dec. 30, 1952 2,783,828 VJeill Mar. 5, 1957 2,853,125 Starke Sept. 23, 1958 

1. IN A CHAIR INCLUDING A SEAT FRAME AND A SEAT REMOVABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A RECESSED POCKET IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID SEAT, AND A SEPARATE LIFE PRESERVER REMOVABLY LOCATED IN SAID RECESSED POCKET. 